San Antonio Democratic Socialists of America

School Board run

In 2012 Gregg Robinson was running as a candidate for the County Board of Education.

He has dedicated his life to addressing, and working toward redressing, the growing inaccessibility of educational opportunities due to poverty. This is reflected in his scholarly research and publications, his career as a teacher as well as his ongoing involvement in community organizations.

Robinson’s Ph.D. is from UCSD: he has spent the last 22 years as a sociology professor at Grossmont College. Before that, he worked at UT San Antonio; Austin State; University of Maryland at Eastern Shore, and as a substitute teacher for the SD Unified school district. So while he speaks from experience, eloquently and directly, about issues concerning income gap and educational access and success, he also easily cites major studies from schools like Stanford or UCLA to substantiate his positions.

Gregg’s involvement with community organizations is longstanding. He’s served as head of the Affordable Housing Coalition, and is its current vice chair. Gregg was especially active during the condo conversion craze in San Diego, when it looked like renters would end up being shut out of the market.[2]

Standing for AD 78

I am a lifelong progressive Democrat, educator, and unionist. I support Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, expanding unions, affordable housing, protecting the Undocumented, and Racial/Gender/Social Justice.

I am the first in my family to go to college, and did so by working union jobs that supported my education. Unfortunately, that kind of opportunity has disappeared for this generation, and I am dedicated to getting it back.

My brother nearly died when I was a child because we did not have healthcare insurance, so Medicare for all is my passion.

My son is LGBTQ, and I fought for his rights when he was in school–no person should have to go through what he suffered. Support for diversity and intersectionality is key in the struggle against the tide of Trump intolerance.

I am proud of having been elected to the County Board of Education in 2012 and almost as proud as having been defeated for re-election in 2016. I was not defeated by my opponent, however, but by Alice Walton (Walmart heiress) who donated $250K to his campaign. Alice and the other billionaires who got involved in what became the most expensive County Board of Education race in the history of the state opposed me because I fought against privatizing public education.

I helped start a coalition of San Diego County progressive school board members in 2014. This coalition educates school board members about unions, social/racial justice, charter schools, and the privatization of education.[3]